


Outsiders

by Szarka



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Aroace Luke Skywalker, Aromantic, Aromantic Luke Skywalker, Asexual Character, Asexual Luke Skywalker, Asexuality, Coming Out, Gen, Post-Star Wars: A New Hope, Sex Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 07:54:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13713291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Szarka/pseuds/Szarka
Summary: Han has the brilliant idea to bring his friends to a strip club without warning them first. Leia enjoys herself. Luke less so.Written to the prompt: "Something with Luke and Han where they either go to have a night out (Han’s idea), or have to go undercover somewhere where there are a lot of really hot people, and Han enjoys himself, but Luke is super uncomfortable. And than there is some teasing and so, but they manage to figure out, why, and Han promises him not to get them into something similar ever again. (Bonus points if Leia is there too, and she does enjoy looking at all those hot people. A lot.)"





	Outsiders

**Author's Note:**

> 1) This was written to Tumbler's Aces In Space's Aro Ace Luke Fic drive. Full disclosure, I am NOT part of the Star Wars fandom, so I really hope that I didn't butcher it too badly.  
> 2) This story takes place somewhen after Episode IV: The Death Star is destroyed, the Rebellion active and led by Leia, she and Han still at their bickering phase, and nobody knows about her and Luke being twins.  
> 3) The default sexuality in the galaxy is not to care about what species or genders the other belongs to, as long as they're hot.  
> 4) In this story, Luke is aromantic asexual, Han is heteroromantic heterosexual, Leia and Odky are both panromantic pansexual.

As with all spontaneous things with the potential to go out very wrong, it was Han's idea.

He, Luke, Leia and Chewie had been on a rather long and exhausting mission that consisted of visiting small bases scattered around on planets far away from everything. One of them was even hidden away on a bigger asteroid. They had all important missions, like serving as communication centers, information databases or hideouts, but none of those needed a big staff, so most were just manned by one to five people. People who were, let's just say _eccentric_. The Rebellion generally attracted outcasts, many of whom found like-minded spirits, even friends there, but not all of them had whatever it was that one needed to function within a society. Those got assigned to these one-person jobs, where they could sit quietly alone in the middle of nowhere and follow their own rhythm. It was at least as important for the Rebellion than what those at the core did, if not more, and yet they still had a bad reputation. They are weird, everyone said, unfriendly, unpredictable.  Hard to get along with. Stay away.

Luke was reminded of Old Ben, a strange old man living alone in a cabin in the desert. He wondered how many of them had a similar story, where they'd fought but lost, and now just wanted to rest. Wanted it more than anything, but couldn't, because there were still people who needed their help.

He missed Ben.

So when it came to the yearly inspection round of the outposts and everyone had dodged and found excuses, he volunteered. Leia  joined , because while leading the Rebellion was like a second nature to her, she'd felt the need to get away for a while and do something more immediately productive. And as soon as Leia was on, Han wasn't far behind. Chewbacca never trusted Han to go alone,  _especially_ not with their ship, for which, frankly, Luke couldn't blame him. And so the four of them had set out on what turned out to be a few weeks together in space.

Luke had been right about the people they visited. In their own way, they were all really nice and cared deeply about the Rebellion, some of them just had trouble showing it.  And had some rather strange hobbies that they more often than not were very happy to explain in all detail  to the visitors .

“You're good at this, kid.”, said Han in a low voice while the four of them were waiting in a room full with scrolls of the most beautiful calligraphy. “Most people wouldn't have the patience for their weirdness.”

“I only listen to them.”, replied Luke, surprised. So far, Han had not shown any signs of negative thoughts about their hosts.

“That is what makes a good leader, Luke.”, whispered Leia.

“And that is why you should be careful who to trust.”, added Han. “You never know a person, until you have seen them with someone of a lower status, and with someone who is different.”

“Wroaaaaah!”, added Chewie.

“I've always liked outsiders. I think.”, said Luke. It was true, but he'd never stopped to think about it before.

“Keep it up. Trust me, it will be useful one day.”

Before Leia could point out that Han himself was a rather insistent outsider (she was thinking it, by now Luke knew her well enough to tell), their host, A 'l li, came back with in  his hand a piece of the same home-made paper that he wrote his never-ending calligraphy on.

“The list of supplies I need that you asked for. And I've made some tea, if you want a cup before you leave.”

 

 

They had already finished with all the outposts, when a patrol division of Empire ships turned up out of nowhere, and they had to land somewhere within twelve solar systems.

“I know a place.”, said Han, and went into light speed without giving them any more information.

The “place” turned out to be another colorful outer quarter of a larger city, although one that Luke never had heard of, being on a planet little known in most parts of the Empire. I t still managed to be both huge and busy, as he observed with surprise while  t hey landed.

“A city this size must be booming with Empire agents.”, voiced Leia his thoughts.

“Not this one, princess.”, said Han. “Most of the Empire doesn't care that it's here, it is only a center of local commerce. These few systems don't bring the inner planets much profit, they could all vanish without the Emperor noticing. Which is why I didn't expect any patrol ships around here.”

“Wroooagh!”

“Yes, I know that I should have, and that it is all my fault. You were right. There, I said it. Happy?”

“Groar!”

He disappeared for a short moment to negotiate about the parking spot for the  _Millennium Falcon_ , while Luke and Leia put on their least suspicious clothes.

“Where are we going?”, asked Luke.

Han grinned.

“Well, since we are stranded here for a day or two, I thought that we might just as well have some fun.”

“ _Fun_.”, said Leia. “I don't trust your definition of _fun_.”

“Easy, princess. It's completely safe, we are going to visit an old friend of mine.”

“The last time we run into one of your old friends, he tried to cut off your left leg.”

“Grrr, wroar!”

“See?” Han patted Chwie's arm. “There you have it. Safe as we can be!”

Leia shot Luke a suffering look, but didn't push the issue any further,  and the four rebels left the ship.

B y now, Luke had had the chance the see many different cities, on many different planets, under different climates and the product of different races and cultures, but he still couldn't get enough of them. It was mesmerizing to get a glimpse into the lives of their inhabitants, and fascinating how different they were in so many aspects, and yet the same in the ones that mattered.

There were always buildings. Often in the same shapes, because certain geometrical figures were simply easier to build. The materials were vastly different, but more often than not, they were solid enough to withstand the planet's climate. Some cities were carefully planned, but the quarters Han preferred usually weren't, instead being a colorful mess of different shapes, sizes and materials all thrown together. The people reflected that: Racial minorities often lived here, as did interplanetary immigrants.

It was already getting late, and the more respectable working inhabitants were already at home, getting ready for the night. There were still more than enough people on the streets, but it was all less busy than during the day, and the lights coming out of the buildings gave the whole city a warm and welcoming glow.

They'd walked for around five minutes when Chewy took a different turn than they did. Luke stopped dead.

“Wait, you're not coming with us?”

“Grawl! Grrrroaoar!”

“He is meeting with some friends of his own.”, translated Han. “We'll see us again at the _Falcon_ tomorrow morning?”

“Wroagh! Rrrgh! Aaaargh!”

Han grinned.

“All right, you too, buddy.”

Getting separated didn't sound like the best of ideas, but apparently, Han's confidence was infectious, because none of his two friends complained. By the way they moved around, it was completely evident that both he and Chewy knew the place in their sleep, and that helped a little to put them at ease.

Luke and Leia said goodbye with a little wave, than followed Han. He was in a good mood, and despite himself, Luke found that he too had started to ease up. Leia still had her hand under her long coat, where she kept her gun, but her shoulders weren't as tense as they had been at the beginning, and she let Han engage her in one of their never ending word fights. Luke remained silent for most of the remaining walk, enjoying the scenery and listening to his friends insult one another. It was a mild evening, and it felt incredibly good to be out of the ship and just walk around in a strange city, without any pressure of getting things done.

Their destination turned out to be a two-store building, that was large enough to take up half of the street. It's walls were covered in a wonderful mosaic depicting a forest with sun shining through the trees, but deep shadows under them. It was a place where one instinctively wanted to go to for a walk, and than forget time there while exploring it's secrets. The other unusual thing about the building was that there were no windows on the ground floor.

“You should probably know that Odky loves labyrinths.”, said Han. “They make her feel safe. Don't be surprised about the inner architecture, and don't wander too far off.”

“That sounds reassuring.”, deadpanned Leia. “Anything else that we should know about?”

“Yes. I helped Odky out once, so she has granted me free entrance for the rest of my life, and I can bring as many visitors as I like.”

“Do I want to know what you did to _help her out_?”

Han winked.

“Not really, princess.”

There was a short row at the entrance. The three rebels got in.

“One more thing.”, whispered Han. “We have to leave our shoes and our guns at the entry.”

Luke and Leia both froze.

“Han!”, whispered Luke.

“I meant what I said, kid, this is one of the safest places I know in the entire galaxy. Odky has her guards everywhere. Smallest sign of trouble, and you are out with no warning. And she is no friend of the Empire, trust me, she's had more than enough bad experiences on the central planets.”

“I still don't think that this is a good idea.”

“ _Guns_. Lucky for us, nobody ever checks for lightsabers. Just put it somewhere where they won't see it, and if you lose your clothes, do it in a way that it stays hidden.”

_If you lose your clothes_ was one of the less weird warnings Luke had gotten while spending time with Han  Solo , and most of the others had been false alarm, so he didn't think any closer about it. What his friend had said about the lightsaber was true:  To most inhabitants of the galaxy, the Jedi and their legendary weapon were just a myth, not something that you'd encounter on the street. He had gotten all kind of comments while walking around with  it on his hip, most of which had assumed either that it was a toy, part of a costume, or Luke himself a madman. And that were those who'd recognized what  the lightsaber was. Most people did not.

“That leaves us with one weapon for three. I don't like this, Han.”

B efore the smuggler could answer, the doorman (probably one of the aforementioned guards, because she was robust, blue, and had lots of tentacles that made it abundantly clear that she could, and would, grab any disturber of peace within fragments of a second) spotted them and cried out.

“Han the Smuggler! I haven't seen you here in years!”

Han grinned back at her.

“I've been busy, Damaga. You know how it is. Is Odky in?”

“Of course. I'll call her right away.” Damaga pushed a button on a radio built in the wall. “Odky, come down here! Your smuggler boyfriend is back.” Than she turned back to the visitors. “She'll be right here. You three just get rid of your shoes and your guns, you can put them in the boxes over there.”

Luke had an increasingly bad feeling about this. So had Leia, judging by the murderous looks she shot Han, who cheerfully ignored her, stripped down his shoes and placed them in the box together with his three guns.

_That man has a talent for making me do stupid things_ , thought Luke, as he followed his example.

Odky turned out to be an elegant, slim woman covered with red scales. She wore a light blue summer dress, that had a deep cut on her back, leaving place for her long tail that didn't stop whipping for a moment. It was always difficult to determine the age of a species that he wasn't familiar with, but Luke didn't think that she could be much older than Han. She was probably even slightly younger.

“Han!”, cried she out, hugging him dynamically. “What have you been up to, you old good-for-nothing? I've already thought that you must have fallen into a black hole, since you refused to turn up! Either that, or you'd forgotten about us, and that cannot be, can it now?”

“Of course not, Odky.” Han hugged her back just as tightly. “I was busy, you won't believe all the crazy things going on in the galaxy these days.”

“Oh, we hear rumors. Rebels, space stations blowing up planets.” Odky shook her head. “Crazy, crazy world. So, who are your lovely friends?”

“Luke and Leia. This is Odky.”

“I figured.”, said Leia drily.

“Nice to meet you. Any friend of Han is a friend of mine, come in, come in. Let's find you a table.”

Since their first meeting on Tatooine, Luke had had the dubious luck of getting to see more than enough of Han's favorite bars. They all were loud, busy, and diverse, places where one could disappear into the crowd, and where the drinks were cheap and strong.

This was... Different. For one, it was much more quiet, as if the builders had placed extra care on making sure that every visitor got their privacy. It lacked the usual structure of a counter and some tables, instead there were turns upon turns, with little podiums distributed between the tables, where dancers of all kinds of species moved smoothly to music, and little niches in the walls with openings covered with black forcefields, so that Luke could only guess their function.

For another, it was... The closest word that Luke could find was _cozy_. There was a thick, soft carpet on the floor, the lights were dimmed and the music not too loud. The visitors themselves behaved differently than they did in an average pub. While it was obvious that they were having fun, they were also paying attention on keeping their voices at a reasonable volume. The fact that none of them were wearing any shoes only increased the impression of them being at home. Waiters walked around with plates serving colorful drinks, all of them clad in thin dresses of different cuts and colors, but all similar enough to Odky's to be recognizable as uniforms.

“Wow.”, said Leia. She seemed to mean it.

“I've told you it was a good place.”, whispered Han.

“That must be the first time that you've actually kept a promise.”, shot she back.

H an had  called the inside a labyrinth, and he had not been lying.  It only took a couple of turns for Luke to get the feeling of having stepped into another dimension, where the rules of the universe as he knew them just didn't quite apply, and the mere concept of a way out seemed vague and far away. One more thing where he would have to rely on the Force  for in case of an emergency.

And something in him still gave him an uneasy feeling about this whole place. _Something_ was wrong, he just couldn't quite tell, what.

Odky led them to a somewhat bigger room (or whatever the term was for those places), where there were around two dozen tables, and four of the small podiums along the walls.

“You're lucky, one of our best places is still free.”, said she, showing them to an empty table. No matter how hard Luke tried to see a difference to all the others, he couldn't find any.

Odky sat down with them, winked at a waiter and ordered four drinks. Than she turned to her guest. “So, Han darling, what have you been up to?”

Han started to tell her about how he became involved with the Rebellion. Leia occasionally corrected him, but mostly, she was just watching the dancers with a dreamy expression.

Luke couldn't blame her, they were amazing. He didn't know any of the species, since they all came from small, relatively isolated planets, nor did he know anything about the dance form that they were performing, but nevertheless he could see clearly that it wasn't easy. They were spinning and twisting themselves into all kinds of angles, all while making it look effortless. Luke himself was a pretty good athlete, he had to be, if he wanted to fight with a lightsaber, but even he wouldn't have dared to try such a dance, and certainly not for so long.

He was especially fascinated by a female form, whose body was covered in long, soft fur that welled rhythmically as she turned, waving around a long piece of cloth, probably a scarf. What was more amazing was that her hair changed it's color, making it appear as if the dancer herself was in a constant flux. The way she moved, combined with the lights and the scarf, made it close to impossible to determine, where her fur ended, and where her clothes, designed to look like her natural hair, begun.

Meanwhile, Han had finished his story, and Odky shook her head in disbelief.

“Now you wait until I tell this the others! Han darling, you are always good for a surprise, but this time, you really were naughty.” She visibly brightened up as she got an idea. “Or would you not stay and tell them yourself?”

“We only have this one evening.”, said Leia, who obviously had directed her attention back to the discussion, and seemed to be rather displeased about something. “And do you have to call him _darling_?!”

Odky shrugged. “I like calling people pet names. It is my profession, love. That is what I am payed for.”

Leia shot a dark look at her and Han. The smuggler laughed.

“Relax, highness, we're _friends_. I'm allowed to have friends, am I?”

Leia shot him a _very_ murderous look. Han grinned even brighter.

“Don't worry, Odky is used to jealousy.”

Leia snorted. “As if I would ever be jealous of _you_ , you...”

“Yes you would.”

“No I wouldn't!”

They had these little fights multiple times a day, so by now Luke knew that it was normal. Han would overstep Leia's boundaries, Leia would insult Han, Han would laugh it off and continue doing it. None of them meant seriously what they said or did, and both seemed to secretly enjoy it.

He considered telling this Odky, but judging by the amused look on her face, she somehow already knew.

Luke looked at the dancer again. She was still just as beautiful to watch as she had been thirty seconds ago, so he silently accepted the thought of just watching her until his friends were finally done with their picking on one another, and would hopefully chose a subject of discussion where he could join in.

If he was more quiet than usual, than it was because of that strange feeling of something being _wrong_.

“Looks like Luke is enjoying himself.”, said Leia finally. She sounded amused, but he had been so successfully tuning both of them out over the last minute that he really couldn't tell, why.

“Hmm?” The dancer had been spinning around in circles for a while now. She still didn't seem in the least tired. Sooner or later, she will need to rest, thought Luke.

Han laughed. “That's Kadra, isn't it? Damn, she's even more graceful than when I last saw her. Good choice, kid.”

“What?”, asked Luke, confused.

“Who would have thought that Luke liked the furry type?”, wondered Leia.

“Don't tell me that you actually _thought_ about this, your majesty!”

“Why wouldn't I? You see a cute boy, you think about what he likes, don't you, Odky?”

“Oh, I do. That is my job, remember? But I am not sure about other people. Han here doesn't, do you, darling?”

“Not since I met the princess, that's sure!”

Odky looked Leia up and down.

“Yes, I can see what you mean. She's quite something, isn't she?”

Leia winked at her. “Now you are just after my money!”

Odky winked back. “Of course I am, love! Is it working?”

Leia leaned her head in her hand and gave the other woman a long, intense stare.

“Maybe. You are definitely doing better than that idiot. Keep trying.”

Odky laughed.

It had probably been a bad idea to tune them out earlier, because now Luke genuinely had not the faintest idea what they were talking about.

Han grinned at him. “Don't make that face, kid, we don't need _them_ to have fun.” Side look at Leia. “You know what, we are even better off without them. So, what do you say, just you and me, or should we invite some dancers to join us? They should be off their shift soon, we can split the fee. Your call.”

“I...” Luke swallowed hard. “I was not listening, sorry. What were you talking about?”

Han made a grimace. “Is it the Force again?”

Over their entire trip, Luke had regularly become distracted by movements in the Force. He was getting better at handling this strange new sense that he'd discovered, but it didn't always work.

“Yes.”, said he, decisively too quickly.

Leia broke her staring contest with Odky for a moment and shot him a quick glance. Luke had the bad feeling of being caught lying.

Han cursed under his breath. “Oh for the sake of...! Can't it give you one evening off? Here I bring you to the best strip club in the galaxy, and you can't even enjoy yourself! So, how can we get your attention back?”

“I... I...”

The words _strip club_ spun the entire artificial world inside this strange place around, and everything landed in it's place. Suddenly, it all made sense: The lack of windows on the outside. The strange design allowing the customers a maximum of privacy. Odky making jokes about calling people pet names being her profession. The dancers...

Luke looked back at Kadra. She had almost completely stopped, and was now performing something that looked like stretching, allowing him to view her entire body in as much detail as he liked.

He had been wrong: The reason why he could not identify where her clothing stopped and her own fur started, was that the dancer wasn't wearing any clothes, at all.

Luke turned his head to the other podiums. Every performer was wearing tight and sparse clothes, and their dances not only demanded extreme agility of their part, they also forced them to assume positions that put forward certain body parts, stressed their curves, allowed the audience a look under their skirts.

Luke felt as if the whole place was closing in on him, trapping him.

It also explained the uneasy feeling that had plagued him all along. He had assumed that it was a disturbance in the Force, but he had been wrong: It had been a warning from his unconscious that he had entered a space where he did not belong. Not at all.

He wanted to ignore the dancers, but now that he noticed the truth, there was no way left to unsee it. He tried to look somewhere else, but there he saw the waiters in their thin summer dresses. Elsewhere, it was the other customers staring at the dancers with an expression that he couldn't place before, but knew what it meant now.

He looked at his friends. Odky in her thin dress, making eyes at Leia, who happily returned them, and Han, sitting as always, legs stretched far out and one of his arms around the back of Odky's chair. The club owner comfortably leaned against him.

Had his first reaction been a complete blackout, now the thoughts suddenly flooded his brain, almost too fast for him to catch any of them. The knowledge of what they expected of him brought back memories from Tatooine, when he'd actually tried, and it really had not gone well, and he couldn't repeat that, he didn't want to ridicule himself in front of Leia, and Han would only call him a child once more, in that hurtful manner, not the affectionate one, and he had really been staring at a naked woman, _one did not do that_ , and...

“I need to be alone.”, brought the young man finally out.

“Of course, love.”, said Odky with a kind voice. “I saw that that bed was still free when we passed it.” She pointed at one of the strange forcefield covered niches in the wall. “You need to pay extra for these before you can use them. Do you have any money?”

Luke nodded, than jumped up so fast that he almost fell over. He run to the niche, fed the coins in the designated opening with shaking hands, and dived into his new hideout.

 

 

The kid took his time, thought Han sympathetically half an hour later, when Luke still hadn't returned. Being sensitive to a weird invisible magic power couldn't be easy.

Meanwhile, he, Leia and Odky were enjoying themselves. After the first rough start, the two women got along splendidly, and had cheerfully excluded Han from their conversation. But for once, just sitting around and listening to them was enough for him.

_Watching Leia_ was enough for him.  Getting the otherwise serious and bossy princess in a more casual situation where she would be forced to have fun like the ordinary mortals did, may had been one of his driving motivations behind choosing their destination. Beside of course wanting to see Odky again, and her club really being one of the most well-guarded places that Han felt comfortable visiting, of course.

But seeing Leia laugh as she told Odky how the palace etiquette on Alderaan had naturally made it completely impossible for the princess to even consider going out and visiting a strip club, even though the idea had interested her since she'd first heard about it... It made Han happy far beyond what was reasonable.

Listening to her and the club owner discuss in all detail what it was that made someone hot or not hot (apparently, them being approximately human-sized was a huge turn-on) made him want to smile so much that he could not resist the urge.

They were currently rating everybody in the room according their attractiveness. Han had ended on the very last place, which was no surprise, given that Her Highness still made a show of refusing to admit that he was the best looking man she'd ever met,  and Odky ha d sided with her, probably to mess with Han. So much to solidarity between friends.

I f it was possible, than Leia looked even better than usual.  S he really had the most beautiful laugh, and she was playing around with her long hair that she had braided to a simple pigtail for the evening. Maybe she did it as part of her flirting game with Odky, maybe just because she enjoyed the fact that she could without having to worry about her look. Either way, Han doubted that making it hard for him to breath normally had been part of her plan.  Blasted . He would have gladly given anything to be able to spend the rest of eternity just staring at the princess playing with her hair.

And Luke still hadn't returned.

“Go after him.”, said Leia. It was an amazing break to the giggling she'd been doing half a second earlier.

“Huh?”, asked Han, tearing his look from her hair. “Me?”

Leia rolled her eyes.

“Yes, Han, you!”

“But why?”

“ _Seriously_. If you really are this dumb, than I'll have to retrieve your permission to fly spaceships first thing we get back to the base.”

No, Han wasn't dumb. He just didn't want the job.

“Look, princess, if you girls are trying to trick me into leaving you two alone...”

“Damn it, Han!”

For a total of five seconds, all three of them were stunned by Leia's sudden outburst.

“You really should go, darling.”, said finally Odky carefully. “Luke is not well, and the maximum time you can rent a bed for will soon be over, someone will have to renew it.”

It was true. People forgetting about the half-an-hour rule was the number one cause of awkward dramatic situations in Odky's club.

“The kid knows better than to make that mistake.”

“And what if he's unconscious? I'd much rather have you find him than the guards. They're darlings, but...”

“And if he is, what am I supposed to do about that?”

“He isn't.”, said Leia firmly, as if there was any way for her to know. “But he is in great emotional distress.”

“And how are you supposed to know that, highness?”

The scarier part was, Han knew it, too. It was  very difficult to describe, he didn't actually  _feel_ it, it was more of a general certainty at the rand of his perception.

“Just go!”

“Why don't you go?”, tried the outlaw one last time. “You are better with this emotional fuss than I am.”

“Because I am not the person he needs to see right now!”, snapped Leia. “You are. Now _go_!”

Han cursed and stood up.

He was not good with deep talks about feelings. He just was not. Why would anyone think that sending him to talk to a sad boy would solve anything?

He renewed the bed for another fifteen minutes, than gently knocked on the sound leading plate designed for communication.

No answer.

Han knocked again.

“Luke?”, called he. “It's me. Are you all right, kid?”

It took a moment, but than the forcefield thinned enough for a person to pass through. Han climbed in the niche, and the forcefield thickened again.

It was the first time that Han used one of the beds, and  was not surprised to find that it was just as cozy as the rest of Odky's club. The lights were even more dimmed than outside, but still bright enough for him to see everything  clearly . The entire niche was filled by the mattress, which  was more or less like all the other mattresses intended for multi personal use by strangers: More hard than soft, and easily cleanable, except for that Odky actually had a couple of  droids for the sole purpose of changing the sheets after every  single client. Han had slept in hotels who didn't do that.

L uke was sitting cross legged by the wall. He seemed to be doing all right, all in all, but  _something_ was going on, and it  showed.

“What is it?”, asked he.

“You tell me, kid. You just run out on us half an hour ago, and not a word since. We were worried.”

“I'm fine, Han. I just want to be left alone.”

“Yeah? Well, even I can tell that _something_ is going on. What is it? Did we do something?”

Luke sighed. “No, really, I'm fine.”

If he said so... Why would the princess even think that Han could do anything about it? Sure he was worried, but...

Well, at least she couldn't say that he didn't try. And he payed for the bed.

“All right kid, if you say so. But if there is something, you know that you can talk to me, right? I'd like to help, you know.”

Luke nodded, and Han turned to thin the forcefield again.

“It's just this place.”, said the boy quietly just before he could reach the switch. The smuggler turned back, shifted in a sitting position, and waited for him to continue.

“It feels... Strange.”

“I know.”, said Han. “I was completely disoriented at first. Took me days to get used to this damn labyrinth.”

Luke shook his head. “No, it's not that. It's the...” he made a vague hand gesture. “It's the....”

“People?” finished Han for him.

Luke nodded.

Han had to give that boy credit for being one of the most open people he knew, as he had shown again and again, even on this very mission. So the presence of too many alien races couldn't be it. The visitors to Odky's club always behaved themselves exceptionally well, and Han had already seen Luke in some of the busiest taverns of the galaxy, so that couldn't be it, either.

In that case, the only remaining thing was...

“Do you have a problem with sex workers?” Han hoped that he could hide the surprised shock in his voice.

“No!”, exclaimed Luke. “No.”, added he more quietly. “I... don't understand them.” He averted his eyes for that part, and actually blushed a little.

Sometimes, Han forgot just how young that boy was. Not even his age, as much as his astonishing lack of practical experience in certain things.

“There isn't much to understand, kid. It's like sweets, you don't have to know why you like them, you just do.”

“But what if I don't?”

Oh. That possibility hadn't even occurred to  him . Stupid, stupid. He had been so busy imagining Leia's reaction that he'd completely forgotten to think about Luke,  and whether or not he would enjoy visiting a strip club .

“Are you asexual?”

“Am I what?”

Han only just managed not to curse loud at the complete and utter lack of inclusive sexual education on certain planets. Luke would not be the first person he met who got problems because of that.

“Did anyone ever explain to you about the different sexual orientations?”

“...No?”

“So you still think that the normal thing is to be attracted to all genders from all sentient species?”

“It isn't?”

H an sighed. “No, it is not. It only is the most  frequent . Attraction can manifest itself in all forms.  T o some people, it is limited to only one gender, or one species, or only people they are already emotionally close with. Any combination you can imagine. Asexual is the one where you are not interested in anyone.”

Luke took a moment to process this.

“So you are saying that it is normal?”

Han shrugged. “Define  _normal_ . But it is common enough, yeah.”

This time, Luke was silent for multiple minutes, just sitting there and staring in front of him.

“Kid?”, asked Han finally carefully.

Luke ignored him completely, still not taking his eyes off his hands.

“I thought that it was just me.”, said he to no-one in particular with a thin voice. “I thought that I was being weird.”

Han felt a strong urge to shoot whoever was responsible for the sexual education on Tatooine. He forced himself to remain nonchalant on the outside.

“Oh no, I've met plenty people like that.”

“What were they like?”, asked Luke.

Han thought back.

“Well... One of them tried to murder we with a deck of playing cards once. Than there is this group of agender aces running a bookstore on Gnoijaal, they also trade stolen information. Great hackers. Oh, and Rheka, stay away from her, she's an assassin for hire, very effective. Apart from that... Two smugglers, a woman working in an orphanage...”

“ _Aces_?”

“Short for asexual. Most like to be called that.”

“What else?”

As if he had been paying attention! Han had never been too interested in other people's sexualities. Most of what he knew about this particular subculture was what he remembered from that one evening some years ago when he'd met Rheka in a bar, and she'd told him in all length while the two of them got terribly drunk together. He'd only found out about her assassin reputation later, when he'd checked up on her after she'd brought him back to the _Millennium Falcon_ when he'd passed out, and Chewie had invited her to stay for the night. It had been a fun evening.

“Eeerm... Quite a few of them are wearing black rings on the middle finger of their right hand to symbolize that they are not available. No idea where that comes from. And they seem to generally like mythical creatures, for the same reason as you do, I guess? They also talk a lot about good food. But lots of people do, I'm not sure if it is anything ace-specific.”

“Are they lonely?”

Everyone in this galaxy is lonely, kid. That's how life works. You are in on your own, and try to get by as good as you can. But now was not the good time to say that.

“Depends on the lifestyle. Some more than others, I believe.”

Luke shifted his position, pulling his legs up and hugging his knees to his chest.  He seemed to be comfortable enough asking the questions that he had on his mind, and once again, Han wondered how anybody could be so foolishly trusting.

“Sometimes I am.”, confessed he.

“We all are, kid.” There, he said it.

“No, not like that.” Luke made a vague hand gesture. “It's just that you get to see couples everywhere, and the people who have a family together, or are living together, and I couldn't...”

“Chewie and I are not lovers, and we live together just fine.”

Luke brightened up. “That's true.”

“You only need to find someone who you get well along with, you'll figure the rest out after. Don't worry, you've only just started, these things take time. Besides, being asexual doesn't mean that you cannot fall in love. Unless you really can't.”

“I don't think I can.”

Han thought about Leia. “You know what, you're probably better off this way.”

Luke sighed. “It is just that back home, the other children used to say things about me not being interested in dating anyone. They stopped when we got older and had other things to worry about, but... Sometimes, I still think that maybe they were right?”

“They weren't.”

“But you don't even know what they said!”

“I don't need to. Those are everywhere the same. There are maybe a dozen mean remarks that you can make to someone like us, the rest are just variations. I know, I've got enough because I am only interested in human women. Same crap everywhere. Just ignore those idiots. Or shoot them. Depends on the context.”

Luke looked up. Not judgmental, only surprised.  _Well_ , thought Han,  _that is one way to tell him._ He hadn't really planned on doing so, but, oh blasted. It's not as if it mattered if the kid knew, really. He'd already known that  Luke didn't really mind if someone was  _different_ before this mission. Now he was certain of it. Actually, he 'd just found out where the kid's emotional connection to outsiders came from.

“I didn't know that about you.”

“That's because I don't go around advertizing it.”

“But I thought that because you liked strip clubs...”

“Doesn't mean that I want to fuck anybody in it. You enjoyed watching the dancers before we ruined everything, didn't you?”

Luke turned red again. “That was  _before_ I new that they were naked! I don't want to...”

“Do what? They get payed well enough. It is their choice to make their living this way, and Odky makes damn sure that they actually like their job, and that there is enough security around to protect them from customers. Not all clubs are this careful, but the good ones are. Stay away from the rest.”

“The whole idea just makes me really uncomfortable.”

“You can get used to it.” Han shrugged. “Or not. It's not for everybody. Look, it was wrong from me to bring you here without any warning. I meant what I said earlier, if you don't want to be here, we can always leave the girls and do something else.”

Luke thought about it, his head resting on his knees.

“I don't know. I also want to spend time with Leia, and it is safer if we all stick together. On the other hand...” He didn't finish.

_Poor kid,_ thought Han.  _It's not an easy thing to figure these things out. But he will, and he'll be a lot better off than he was before._

Until then, he still had their evening out to think of. The Rebellion by far didn't give them as many nights off as he'd liked.

“You know what? I'll go out there and tell the ladies to cut the flirting and to better include you in their discussion. The moment you feel bad about it, you tell me and we go and take a little walk in the city, look at what places are still open. Deal?”

“Yes.”, said Luke. He had a strange light in his eye. “Han, thank you.”

Han reached out and gently squeezed his friend's arm. “Any time, kid. Just ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> For the record, Han met Odky when she was running from her abusive father and bought herself a trip on the Millennium Falcon. She payed him well enough, and that would have been the end of it as far as he and Chewy were concerned. By the next time they met, Odky had opened her club, sex work being the only thing that she had experience with, and it was going pretty well. She'd put a lot of effort in to making sure that the people working for her didn't go through the same hell as she had, and they really are all happy to work for her. Needless to say, she was really glad to see Han again, because without him, she'd never gotten away, so she invited him to the club and promised a lifetime of free access. Over time, the two became good friends. Han always says hello when he passes her system, and Odky and her workers really enjoy listening to his stories (all of which are of course 100% true). Odky knows that he is straight, and likes to tease him about it.
> 
> Over the course of this evening, she also became good friends with Leia (and Luke). Although she refuses to join the Rebellion ("Some things should stay out of politics, honey"), she still supports them by letting rebels stay with her if they are on the planet.


End file.
